Found Red Eared Slider need help!! It dug a hole and layed approx. 8 eggs!?

Question

How do I care for her? I need all the information I can get...from feeding to habitat. How do I protect the eggs? I live in So. Cal. and it's really hot. Please help me. I love animals but have never owned a turtle. I am willing to do whatever it takes to give this turtle the care it needs.

Answer 1

First, put her back where you found her, and walk away.

Second, don't even think about touching her eggs, keep them exactly as she left them. If you've touched or moved them you might as well as consider them nonviable.

If by chance she is injured, you need to contact your nearest Wildlife Rehabilitator  and turn her over to them.

It is illegal in California to keep wildlife (even in egg form) as "pets". Wild animals have an extremely difficult, and in most cases fatal, adjustment to captivity. Also, keeping an aquatic turtle (especially one breeding size) requires an extensive set up, that off the bat will cost at least $300 - $500 to house properly.

***She doesn't "belong" to anyone, she is a native wild animal. Do a search for "California Wildlife Rehabilitator" and call the one closest to you, they will take her, and place her in a wildlife sanctuary. You've done a lot of damage to this animals health by keeping her this week. Oh by the way, if you've taken the eggs, and had them too this week, they're dead.

Answer 2

I have 2 little red eared sliders, and all i did was put them in a tank. but you have the added happiness of having little ones soon. Im sure they dont lay their eggs in water, so the best bet would probably be to have a box with dirt and a dish of water for mom to get into if she wants. She will take care of them. I feed mine turtle pellets and feeder fish. Mom will enjoy them. Im sorry Ive never had babies, but i do have the bigger ones. Or go to your local pet store and see what kind of books and supplies they have, also try talking with the pet store owner, they are a wealth of information obviously! good luck and take pics!

Answer 3

keep her.

they are an invasive species, and to be honest, its best not to let the eggs develop.

there are hundreds of thousands of red eared sliders in need of a home.

easiest way for hosing is a large kiddie pool outside, with a cinderblock for a basking area.

Answer 4

I'm sorry, but I would leave it alone. Obviously the turtle knows what she's doing, if she decided to lay her eggs there. She would be terribly upset if she found out that somebody was meddling with her ways. Observe from a distance, appreciate it, but don't fuss with it, for the turtles' sakes.

Answer 5

Eggs

Mating activities for Red-eared Sliders usually occur between March and July, and take place underwater. The male swims toward the female and flutters or vibrates the back side of his long claws on and around her face and head.

After mating, the female will spend extra time basking in order to keep her eggs warm. She may also have a change of diet, eating only certain foods or not eating as much as she normally would. Ovulation begins in May and egg-laying occurs in May through early July. A female might lay from two to thirty eggs, with larger females have the largest clutches. One female can lay up to five clutches in the same year and clutches are usually spaced twelve to thirty-six days apart.

Eggs will hatch sixty to ninety days after they have been laid. Late season hatchlings may spend the winter in the nest and emerge when the weather warms in the spring. New hatchlings will cut open their egg with an egg tooth, which falls out about an hour after hatching. This tooth never grows back. Hatchlings may stay inside their eggshells after hatching for the first day or two. When a hatchling decides to leave the shell, it will have a small sac protruding from its bottom plastron. Just prior to hatching the egg contains 50% Turtle and 50% egg sac. The yolk sac is vital and provides nourishment while visible and several days after it has been absorbed into the Turtles belly. Damage or motion enough to allow air into the Turtles body results in death. This is the main reason for marking the top of Turtle eggs if their relocation for any reason is required. An egg that has been rotated upside down will eventually terminate the embryo growth by the sac smothering the embryo. If it manages to reach term, the Turtle will try to flip over with the yolk sac which will no doubt allow air into the body cavity and death follows as noted. The other killer is water into the body cavity before the sac is absorbed completely and the opening has almost completely healed. I find 21 days from egg opening until water entry. The sac will never fall off by itself, it must be absorbed. The split may be noticeable in the hatchling's plastron on Turtles found in the field indicating the age of the Turtle to be about 3 weeks old. As noted the split must heal on its own before allowing the Turtle to swim. This does not preclude the need for moisture throughout the first 3 weeks of life out of the egg. I have heard that you place the  Hatchlings on moist paper towels. As a matter of fact the eggs are on these towels from the day they are laid (I dig them up an hour after laying)and covered with toweling until they hatch and can swim. The Turtle can also suck the water it needs from the toweling.

The Turtle egg is fertilized as it is being laid and buried in the sand. The time between mating and egg laying can be days or weeks. This concept also supports the fact that a Turtle mating can provide for viable eggs two seasons in a row.

I have had the same 2 for 36 yrs

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